This invention relates to a meat tenderizing apparatus in which long slender knives are reciprocated into and out of meat during a pause in the movement of the meat while it is transported in intermittent movement through the apparatus. The knives are yieldably held by jamming friction members so as to be readily releasable upon a preselected resistance to penetration of the meat by any of the blades such as will occur when a blade strikes a bone. Because of the yieldable jamming arrangement the knife that encounters this resistance is immediately released so that further descent of the other knives in continuing the penetration of the meat in the tenderizing operation is not affected.